Dockers won't flirt with form

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has scoffed at suggestions he would flirt with his team's form in order to earn a favourable first round finals match-up.

The Dockers play Melbourne on Saturday night, with the possibility of finishing sixth, seventh or eighth.

However, because their match will be played on Saturday night, it will be after Geelong face Sydney and North Melbourne take on Greater Western Sydney, which will both have an impact on where the Dockers will finish.

But Lyon said he had 'no interest' in knowing what the scenario would be for Fremantle to finish in a preferred position on the ladder.

The most notable of the possible outcomes would be if West Coast lose to Hawthorn, Collingwood beat Essendon and North Melbourne dispatch of the Giants.

And if Geelong beat Sydney at Simonds Stadium on Saturday, Freo could attempt to finish eighth and face West Coast in an unearned home final.

However, if they finish seventh they will travel to Melbourne with the unenviable task of taking on reigning premiers Geelong.

Lyon said a home final was not necessarily a favourable outcome.

"I read the Mark Stephens article today saying 'West Coast a no-brainer', I mean gee-whiz his level of respect for West Coast is certainly different to the level of respect I have and our player group have (for West Coast)," he said.

"We'll play finals, we don't care where it is, when it is.

"All I know is if you muck around with your form, you take your eye off the ball and you blink and you've lost to a bottom-of-the-ladder team."

The Dockers have won seven of their past eight matches and Lyon said they would be more concerned with continuing their good form than trying to stage the result.

"We go out there to practice excellence," Lyon said.

"So we're not going to be mucking around at all. It's full steam ahead.

"My expectation as senior coach is we compete exactly the same as we did against North Melbourne Football Club.

"We're going to pick our best possible team and from the first bounce we're going to compete."

Lyon said skipper Matthew Pavlich would be named in the team to face Melbourne but would be managed in the lead up to the match.

Ruckman Jon Griffin participated in training and is available for selection but looks likely to be kept out by the form of Aaron Sandilands.

Griffin's task is made harder by Kepler Bradley overcoming a bout of concussion to be available as a back-up ruckman for Sandilands.

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